Our Story

Katie, a Northern California native, and Brian, who grew up in Southern California, may never have crossed paths under normal circumstances. But through a mix of luck, fate, and a lot of effort, they forged a life together filled with trust, commitment, sacrifice, and love.

Their story begins in June 2015, in a city far from home—Amsterdam. Katie was studying abroad for the semester, and Brian was traveling before starting a summer internship in New York. By coincidence, Brian had traveled to the Netherlands to visit his friend and future officiant, Evan Geil. Katie, part of the same program, had miscalculated her flight home and needed a place to stay for two nights after her dormitory lease ended. Evan graciously offered to host both of them.

During those few days, Katie and Brian got to know each other as friends. Brian quickly developed a crush on Katie—enchanted by her charisma, intelligence, beauty, musical talent, and infectious giggle. Katie, though clearly finding Brian dashing and engaging, figured that since she was leaving the country in 48 hours, nothing more would come of it.

Before parting ways, they exchanged contact information, hoping to reconnect one day. Katie returned to finish school at USC, and Brian headed back to Lehigh University. Over the next year, they occasionally exchanged messages on social media, but with no concrete plan of staying in each other's lives. Yet, there was an undeniable pull between them—a gravitational force neither could quite shake.

After graduating college, Brian made an unexpected move to Los Angeles for his first job, coincidentally where Katie had also stayed, working for Paramount Pictures. Seizing the moment, Brian reached out to reconnect. Unfortunately, he realized the phone number he had saved was missing a couple of digits. Undeterred, he tried multiple combinations, only to get confused responses from people who weren’t named Katie.

Eventually, Brian managed to track down her number. Katie, thrilled to hear from Brian, agreed to meet for their first date on August 16, 2016, in Santa Monica, California. Their first date was an instant success, and soon thereafter, they fell for each other.

Just as their romance blossomed, life threw a curveball: Brian received a job offer in New York City. They feared this might be the end of their new-found relationship, but instead, they made the brave decision to try long distance, flying back and forth from Los Angeles and New York every month. Despite the grind of red-eye flights, the challenges of long-distance, and just beginning their careers, they kept growing closer. The two dedicated themselves to finding a light at the end of the tunnel and, in the meantime, made the effort to travel and meet in each other’s cities or in other cities around the world.

Ultimately, as COVID came to the world stage, Brian booked a ticket to Los Angeles just days before lockdown, temporarily moving in with Katie and her roommates. When restrictions eased and it was time for Brian to return to New York, Katie followed, moving in with him and his roommates (thank you to all roommates involved!). Together, they navigated new jobs, with Katie eventually landing a role at Netflix, which allowed them to establish their own home together in Brooklyn.

Over the next few years together in the same city, their love only deepened. Knowing they were inseparable after a seven-year rollercoaster, on December 23, 2023, Brian proposed to Katie during a beautiful hike in Marin County, committing to a lifelong partnership.

Within a year of making that commitment, a new adventure presented itself: a relocation to Amsterdam, where they first met. Excited by the opportunity, they are embarking on the next chapter of their story in the city where it all began.